As we climbed into our rental SUV, I received a call from the t-shirt vendor of one of my clients. I was thrilled – I felt official, like a real business person. I answered the call with poise, and I held my head high pleased by the professionalism in my approach. Sadly, I love proving myself more than I care to admit.

I knew that I would have to stop working at some point since we were on our way to the mountains to hike and relax as a family. Still, I fretted over what I was missing as I closed up shop for the week. Even more, I felt an insatiable urge to open my inbox and answer the important questions waiting for me. If only I could prove my credibility and prove that I was needed.

Do you know what all the emails that I put off that week have in common? I don’t remember what any of them said. Leaving them behind also did not make me forfeit my job or my business. My family benefited from the free time I had and so did I.

Now that I am back from vacation, I am still pestered by the thought of answering emails when I should be resting. This causes me a lot of anxiety and I am almost certain emails do this to you as well. The good news is that we don’t have to be a slave to our emails. Here are three reasons why:

1. The world keeps spinning while you are AFC.

Once when I was teaching my brother-in-law to edit videos, he told me that he wanted to cut out parts of his online gameplay footage where he was “AFC.” I laughed as he casually explained that AFC stands for “away from controller.” I reviewed the raw footage and saw exactly what he meant. Every so often, his character would pause while he was AFC while the game kept going.

The same is true with your emails. The world keeps spinning even when you are AFC. Remember your human limitations and embrace your need to rest from work. At some point today, I encourage you to lock your emails in a drawer until the next business day. Your soul will thank you for it.

2. There is a person behind every email and they are not God.

I get many types of emails every week. Sometimes I get marketing emails hoping for my cash. Other times I receive important messages from my seminary. Still other times I get urgent messages from my supervisors. A person exists behind each email, but I have never received an email from God. My supervisors are not God and they do not deserve my worship.

When we feel a nagging pull to check our emails, though we should be resting, it is likely because we fear what could happen if we don’t. Those people waiting for a response may have power, but God has more. Don’t let your emails make you anxious. Trust God to keep the world spinning even when you can’t send an immediate response. Worship God, not your emails or the powerful folks behind them.

3. You need rest.

Human bodies are not made to run all day. Our bodies are designed to work, but they are also programmed to rest after exertion. Sure, we can hack our systems with caffeine and energy drinks, but that is undermining our original design. We need rest, especially because our creative landscape is riddled with things that fill us with anxiety. We will always have a client to please, artwork due, bills to pay, and emails to answer. You only have one body, however, and you need to take good care of it. Tired bodies will not perform well under the pressure of creating on demand. So, rest today from your emails. Designate a specific time to close up shop and let go of the anxieties from work.

If you are a creative who wrestles with anxiety, please consider your approach to the life’s responsibilities. Something I am still learning is that the urgencies of work will never cease simply because I am on top of my emails. A clean inbox is good, but the world will keep spinning even when you and I are resting. Choose rest today – close up shop at some point and stow your emails away. May your relaxation be sweet.